Adobe UK » Educationhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk
Just another Adobe Blogs siteThu, 10 Jul 2014 17:15:13 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Adobe Generation is bigger and better than everhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/12/04/adobe-generation-is-bigger-and-better-than-ever/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/12/04/adobe-generation-is-bigger-and-better-than-ever/#commentsWed, 04 Dec 2013 17:44:31 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1198We are thrilled to note that this year’s Adobe Generation is bigger and better than ever before. Adobe Generation kicked off on the 19th of November with the Photo Imaging course. The first Photo Imaging session saw a record number of attendee’s and was the largest live class Adobe has ever held in any part of the world. Moreover, the attendee’s for the Photo Imaging class were not just UK based. With increased global applicants, in particular, Poland, USA and South Africa, our aim to reach and inspire people globally really is a reality. Currently 50% of the Photo Imaging course attendee’s are students. This further confirms Adobe Generation to have sparked interest for a wider demographic- students are not the only ones who want to hone their Creative Cloud skills.

Like all of the five free online Adobe Generation courses, the Photo Imaging course takes place every Tuesday over Adobe Connect, for a total of five weeks; that is five free online sessions! One student noted that “week 1 class crammed full of useful info, tutors really know their stuff & great participation from students” (Pip Pickering). The Photo Imaging seminars from professionals, Ian Usher and Ross Wallis are proving to be really popular. Why wouldn’t you want to take part? You are not too late to join in on the Photo Imaging action: register here, to access and attend the live seminars.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/12/04/adobe-generation-is-bigger-and-better-than-ever/feed/1Adobe Generation Is Back! 5 New Courses To Hone Your Creative Skillshttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/11/12/adobe-generation-is-back-5-new-courses-to-hone-your-creative-skills/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/11/12/adobe-generation-is-back-5-new-courses-to-hone-your-creative-skills/#commentsTue, 12 Nov 2013 13:17:22 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1181Following the huge success of Adobe Generation last year, we’re excited to announce that it’s back for the 2013/14 academic year – and it’s even bigger than before. We’re rolling out five new free online courses for up to 50,000 students (aged 14-19) and teachers across the country, adding Video Production and Apps Design courses to the Photo Imaging, Animationand Games Design sessions that we offered last year.

We know from our own research that there is growing demand from employers for so called ‘new creatives’ – they want a multi skilled workforce. By introducing the extra courses to Adobe Generation, we hope to support industry in creating this new workforce, and young people themselves in becoming multi-skilled, by giving them the opportunity to develop a wider range of digital design skills.

Adobe Generation is a great resource for anyone looking to expand their creative skills. Each of the five courses on offer will run over a five week period, with one live session taking place over Adobe Connect every Tuesday. During each weekly session, we, together with experts from each field, will be teaching a different creative discipline – for example, how to plot a story line of a game, or cut and edit a video into a final narrative sequence. We then set weekly tasks for students to do in between sessions so they can put those skills into practice, using a free trial of Adobe Creative Cloud.

In addition to learning practical skills, students will also be able to explore different creative careers firsthand through the help of our industry experts. This year we’ve got a raft of fantastic people lined up, including world class fashion photographer Kevin Foord and national newspaper Photo Editor Jason Brake, who will lead each session and share their own experiences of working in their chosen profession.

On completion of the course, students will be given an Adobe certificate to validate their skills and bolster their portfolio ahead of applying for university or a job. They will also be encouraged to continue their learning through the Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) – our national qualification validating entry-level skills in digital communications using Adobe tools.

Details of the new set of courses are as follows…

Photo Imaging – runs each Tuesday from 19th November – 17th December at 7- 8:30pm

Animation – runs each Tuesday from 7th January – 4th February at 7- 8:30pm

Video – runs each Tuesday from 25th February – 25th March at 7- 8:30pm

Games Design –runs each Tuesday from 29th April – 27th May at 7- 8:30pm

App Design – runs each Tuesday from 10th June – 8th July at 7- 8:30pm

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today at www.adobegeneration.com and follow all the latest #AdobeGen updates on Twitter.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/11/12/adobe-generation-is-back-5-new-courses-to-hone-your-creative-skills/feed/0Students Get Creative at Campuses Across the UKhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/23/students-get-creative-at-campuses-across-the-uk/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/23/students-get-creative-at-campuses-across-the-uk/#commentsWed, 23 Oct 2013 18:08:54 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1159This month the Adobe Education team has been travelling the nation, visiting students and educators across the United Kingdom to spread the word and help inspire creativity in education. Many students, educators and creative professionals attended the biggest UK Campus Tour yet, across seven different venues. They were treated to exclusive insider information and content from Adobe’s Creative Cloud as well as tips and tricks on how to advance their creative work.

The Campus Tour was attended by students, teachers and lecturers, as well as local professionals with an interest in learning more about Creative Cloud. Our experts included Pro Video Evangelist for Education Michael O’Neill and Senior Solutions Consultant Iona Walters, and their stunning demonstrations gave attendees a brilliant insight into the power of Creative Cloud.

Jamie Eason is the Digital Resources Manager for the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design at the University of Dundee. Having recently signed an agreement with Adobe to give Duncan of Jordanstone full access to Creative Cloud, Jamie believed the Campus Tour was an “ideal way to show everyone what this new software can do.” He continued “Adobe is helping to train the next wave of creative graduates, and we’re delighted to be working with such a passionate, forward-thinking multinational company.”

Salford University’s Academic Director Andrew Cooper was also thrilled with the Campus Tour visit to their campus in Media City UK. He said that their partnership with Adobe “exemplifies their trans-disciplinary work with industry”, and ”the opportunity for students and staff to mix with industry experts from Adobe was not to be missed”. He continued; “Events like this are crucial to our development of next generation talent across the spectrum of creative media and digital technologies, and they play a key role in our contribution to the innovative eco-system that has been rapidly established at MediaCityUK.’

The aim and vision with this series of Adobe Campus Tour events was to empower students and educators with information, tips and skills so they can use our creative tools more effectively and efficiently to advance their creative ideas.

Video Evangelist Michael added that he had met “so many amazingly talented students” during the Campus Tour, and that “their passion for design and desire to learn was incredibly inspiring.” He added, “The Campus Tour was a brilliant way to meet the next generation of creative professionals face-to-face, and to find out what it is they need and want from their tools.”

If you want to see more from the Adobe Campus Tours then check out our Facebook albums from the events. We are also delighted to announce that after the huge success of this year’s Campus Tour it will be back bigger and better than ever in 2014. If you think your university or college deserves a visit from the Adobe team then apply here.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/23/students-get-creative-at-campuses-across-the-uk/feed/1Today’s OFT Announcement Marks A Step In The Right Directionhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/22/adobe-uks-response-to-oft-announcement/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/22/adobe-uks-response-to-oft-announcement/#commentsTue, 22 Oct 2013 17:03:45 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1155Mark A’Bear, Education Manager at Adobe UK responds to the news that the Office of Fair Trading plans to investigate students’ consumer rights and university competition.

“I welcome today’s news that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) plans to investigate the value for money that students are getting in light of the radical changes that are taking place within the Higher Education sector.

The hike in tuition fees was inevitably going to mean that the student experience would change. It has never been more important for graduates to have real world skills – real world skills that employers are increasingly expecting their new recruits to have. But students need the support of their Universities to provide access to the tools and facilities that will help them develop these skills in the first place.

Naturally, students are questioning the value for money they get from their University and feel entitled to a better quality degree for the extra money they are paying. Our own Digital Campus research earlier this year – which surveyed the 2012/13 intake of undergraduates, the first to pay the higher fees – revealed that universities still have a way to go in achieving this.

55% of the students we spoke to admit their university is not living up to their expectations, specifically pinpointing the lack of suitable facilities such as libraries, and technology provision as the main areas needing improvement. As many as half only have access to basic tools such as internet, email and basic programmes, falling short of the 82% who expect their university to go above and beyond a basic technology provision before they started their course.

University Vice Chancellors must step up to the challenge, and quickly, to meet the demands of the next generation of student. Needless to say, those able to adapt their strategies will be far more appealing to students looking for reassurances that they’ll have more than just debt to show for their University careers.”

Mark A’Bear, Education Manager at Adobe UK

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/22/adobe-uks-response-to-oft-announcement/feed/0Teachers should be facilitators of creative thinkinghttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/02/teachers-should-be-facilitators-of-creative-thinking/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/02/teachers-should-be-facilitators-of-creative-thinking/#commentsWed, 02 Oct 2013 13:21:08 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1127Last week, the Adobe education team headed to Glasgow to catch up with some of Scotland’s most influential educators and administrators. We met some wonderful people there and would like to thank all our guests who made the effort to join us and tell us their thoughts on education. This was a great opportunity for us to hear first-hand what educators and administrators think about the evolution of the education system, not only in the UK but also across the globe. The emergence of new technologies, social media and access to internet are creating an exciting environment to educate students and encourage their creativity.

What we heard was that educators – right across the primary, secondary and higher education sectors – all recognise the importance of fostering creative thinking in the classroom, and the findings of our recent State of Creativity report resonated with them a great deal. In particular, educators are in agreement that the way the curriculum is currently set up actually stifles creativity, rather than giving students space to grow and explore possibilities, and that an important step in addressing this challenge is to give educators, and their students, access to new technologies and access to information to facilitate and advance creative thinking.

However, many of the teachers expressed a concern around their own skill levels and ability to use technology to facilitate the teaching or education process. Educators are currently under pressure to acquire new skills themselves in order the facilitate 21st century creative thinking in education and impart knowledge to students. At Adobe we have made it our aim to empower teachers with platforms, resources and tools, to facilitate the transformation taking place in education, such as Adobe Education Exchange.

In facilitating learning, teachers will make it easier for their students to learn how to think critically and understand how the learning process works – which in turn will help to nurture their creativity.

– Mark A’Bear, Adobe UK Education Manager

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/10/02/teachers-should-be-facilitators-of-creative-thinking/feed/0Adobe UK’s response to new national curriculumhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/18/adobe-uks-response-to-new-national-curriculum/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/18/adobe-uks-response-to-new-national-curriculum/#commentsWed, 18 Sep 2013 13:34:26 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1124Mark A’Bear, UK Education Manager, Adobe UK responds to the publication of the new national curriculum for computing which aims to teach children between the age of five and 16 to code

“Adobe welcomes the government’s publication of the new national curriculum for computing, which aims to teach children between the age of five and 16 how to code. This is a positive move that will not only help to increase student engagement, but also provide young people with the digital creativity skills needed in today’s workplace.

Our own research tells us 67%* of educators across the UK believe that creativity in education is vital to fuel the economies of the future, yet despite this 65% of teachers believe they can be doing more to teach this affectively, with 61% saying they feel the current education system is stifling them. Furthermore, 69% of teachers pinpoint having access to more tools and techniques as being the number one way they can teach creativity more effectively, further highlighting the need for schools to invest in the latest technologies to help support their staff.

We work with schools, such as Chalfonts Community College in which technology and digital skills such as coding plays a central role in helping to drive creativity in its students. For example, they rewrote the traditional art specification to include digital media – from animation, digital imaging, film game making – to help students learn creative skills which influence their approach across the curriculum. Through learning complex digital skills such as coding, they not only saw an increase of attainment increase, but an increase of student engagement too, in particular with previously disengaged boys.

The government review of the computing curriculum is certainly a step in the right direction towards creating a more creative learning environment, but the next step will be ensuring students are given the right industry standard tools to work with. It’s therefore up to institutions to increase student access to technology, which will in turn give them a freer rein to express their creative talents.”

*Taken from Adobe’s ‘State of Creativity in Education’ report

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/18/adobe-uks-response-to-new-national-curriculum/feed/0State of Creativity in Education: Teachers Call for an Overhaul of Creative Education Across The Curriculumhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/12/state-of-creativity-in-education-teachers-call-for-an-overhaul-of-creative-education-across-the-curriculum/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/12/state-of-creativity-in-education-teachers-call-for-an-overhaul-of-creative-education-across-the-curriculum/#commentsThu, 12 Sep 2013 07:54:50 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1109Hot off the press! We’ve just released our State of Creativity report, which reveals that 67% of teachers and lecturers in the UK believe that creativity in education is vital to fuel the economies of the future, yet believe the current curriculum is hindering them from fostering creativity in education.

It shows that 68% believe in order to teach creativity well, there needs to be a transformation in the way institutions across the country work, with 61% stating that creativity is ‘stifled’ by the current education system. When asked to name the most important step to addressing this 69% of educators said they need more tools and techniques to teach creativity.

As a result, we are calling on decision makers within schools and universities to invest in the latest technologies to help support their staff and meet the growing expectations of parents. Click on the infographic below to view all the key findings in detail:

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/09/12/state-of-creativity-in-education-teachers-call-for-an-overhaul-of-creative-education-across-the-curriculum/feed/2A-Level results; the National Student Survey; what does it mean for higher education?http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/08/15/a-level-results-the-national-student-survey-whats-next-for-higher-education/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/08/15/a-level-results-the-national-student-survey-whats-next-for-higher-education/#commentsThu, 15 Aug 2013 14:55:43 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1075Mark A’Bear, UK Education Manager discusses the need for institutions to provide good value for money on the back of this week’s A-Level results andNational Student Survey

Today thousands of students across the UK receive their A- Level results, with a record numbers going through the clearing process to get their place at university.

However, while Universities may have filled places for the next academic year, the hard work has only just begun. With students now paying up to £9,000 a year in tuition fees, their expectations are understandably higher, so retaining students is now just as important as attracting them in the first place.

Interestingly, the National Student Survey results were also out this week, which showed that whilst universities are moving in the right direction, more needs to be done to ensure that students are getting value for money. Our own Digital Campus 2013 data echoed this sentiment, as it revealed that for 55% of the 2012/13 student intake, university didn’t live up to their expectations, with a lack of suitable libraries and technology named the main reasons why. It also showed a worrying gap between the ICT provision students expected to have before they started their course, and what they actually got. 82% expected their university to go above and beyond a basic technology provision (internet, email and basic programmes) – but only half actually got that.

Students also had concerns over how employable they will be when they graduate, with a third (33%) admitting they don’t feel their university is equipped to help them get a job and almost a half (49%) saying they didn’t think their chosen institution had good enough links with business. This comes at a time when 96% of students identified ‘increasing their chances of employment’ as the number one reason behind their decision to go to university in the first place.

It’s worrying that there are still many students who only have access to basic tools and technology and aren’t confident that the money they are spending on their education will result in a job. I’m therefore calling on institutions currently going through the clearing process to use this as a wake-up call and provide students with the digital tools needed to help them succeed in today’s tech-driven workplace – or risk leaving them sorely disappointed.

At Adobe we are supporting institutions in providing their students with the latest industry standard technology to help meet their increasing digital demands. We now provide nearly 50% of all Universities and FE Colleges with site-wide access to the latest industry standard creative tools that help students increase their employability. The three year Eduserv Adobe ELA Framework Agreement extends student access to Adobe technology across the entire campus, as well as on staff computers and we estimate that 1.5 million UK students, will have access to Adobe’s industry standard creative tools from September.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/08/15/a-level-results-the-national-student-survey-whats-next-for-higher-education/feed/0Your chance to earn an Adobe Education Trainer credential this summerhttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/07/18/your-chance-to-earn-an-adobe-education-trainer-credential-this-summer/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/07/18/your-chance-to-earn-an-adobe-education-trainer-credential-this-summer/#commentsThu, 18 Jul 2013 16:02:52 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1070If you’ve got experience teaching digital media to your students using Adobe tools such as Photoshop, and you’re keen to impart your knowledge and train your colleagues to do the same, then listen up. Because we’re giving you the opportunity to participate in our free Train the Trainer online course and to earn an Adobe Education Trainer credential this summer.

This free online course launches on 21st July 2013 on the Adobe Education Exchange and runs over ten weeks until 15 September 2013 – at the end of which you’ll be qualified to train your fellow teachers or lecturers on the best way to use Adobe’s creative tools in their own lessons.

Anyone who successfully completes the course requirements will not only earn a digital Adobe Education Trainer credential, you’ll also get to enjoy a tonne of other benefits;

Access to an exclusive Adobe Professional Development Toolkit that can be used to design and deliver customised training to schools, colleges and universities around the world

An invitation to join an exclusive professional learning community of Adobe Education Trainers worldwide

Inclusion of your name and contact information in an online global database of Adobe Education Trainers

An invitation to participate in further training-for-trainers and professional learning activities designed specifically for Adobe Education Trainers

Use of an “Adobe Education Trainer” digital credential to market your services

The Adobe Train the Trainer course takes place from July 21st – 15th September 2013. To get started, click here to register and enroll.

]]>http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/07/18/your-chance-to-earn-an-adobe-education-trainer-credential-this-summer/feed/0Adobe’s response to new vocational courseshttp://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/07/05/adobes-response-to-new-vocational-courses/
http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/2013/07/05/adobes-response-to-new-vocational-courses/#commentsFri, 05 Jul 2013 08:23:45 +0000http://blogs.adobe.com/uk/?p=1064Mark A’Bear, UK Education Manager, Adobe UK responds to the news that the Government plans to introduce a raft of new vocational courses from 2016:

“Yesterday’s announcement by the education secretary is a positive step forward that will support young people in developing real-world skills they will later need in the workplace. The question I would raise, is whether these mooted vocational courses extend to design and creative subjects, such as gaming and web development.

Education changes lives, and providing students with vocational skills that are valued by those in industry enables both businesses and young people to fulfil their potential. Historically, education has been far too focussed on raw academic qualifications. Education shouldn’t be about being able to tick a certain box – it should instead be about the underlying skills that having a certain qualification demonstrates.

Should today’s proposals omit design and the wider creative arts, it would be an opportunity missed and could threaten the future success of the UK’s creative industries, which currently constitute one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country. The UK is renowned for its creativity thanks to its successes in fashion, art, design, film, food and music, and as such, it is imperative that we ensure creativity and design are an integral part of these planned vocational qualifications.”

At Adobe, we’ve been doing our bit to support vocational learning, most recently by offering young people the opportunity to gain practical technology and creativity skills, as well as learn about the world of gaming and design, through our Adobe Generation online courses. In addition, we have been extending student access to Adobe technology and helping institutions meet students’ increasing demand for access to the latest technology, through the Eduserv Adobe ELA Framework Agreement. This three year license agreement will enable Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) institutions to deploy the latest version of Adobe’s Creative Suite across the entire campus, as well as on staff computers, for the first time.